The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-07-15
DEATH I'M A DIVE.

a Theater in Hurley, Wis, of Unsavory
Notoriety, Takes Fire, and Ten of the
Inmates Are Known to Have Perished-
The Business Part of the Town De-
stroyed Before the Flames Are Sub
dued--LoSs S450,O00.
HURLEY, Wis, July 11.-Hurley has
again been the scene OF a most disastrous
confiagration, resulting in terrible loss
of life and property The fire started on
the stage of the Alcazar Theater about
eight o'clock Saturday night, and spread so
rapidly that in a few minutes the whole
building was IN flames. The flames
leaped from build ng to building in
quick succession, until in short
time the whole of the business portion of
the town between Third and Fifth
avenues was mass of fire. The fire de-
partment was called out and the Water
Works Company forced water through the
mains which had been laid recently
through the principal streets of the town,
but all efforts toward stopping the pro-
gress of the flames were without avail
The ire broke out shortly before the
opening of the performance at the Alca-
3ar, and only small audience had as
sembled at the place. When the alarm of
fire was given several of the
actors rushed upstairs to their
rooms for the purpose of saving their
valuables, and the flames prevented their
escape. 1t is said that seventeen persons
met their death in the burned theater.
Ten bodies have been recovered from the
ruins. 1t is almost certain that these are
among the lost:
Sadie Wells, Lottie Moore, song and dance
woman; Minnie Clifford, Jennie Allen, Mabel
Haley, Laura Brainerd, Sadie McCabe, colored
actress; William Jackson, colored actor; j. w.
Van CURRY, Samuel Haley.
Sadie Wells appeared at second story
window of the theater during the progress
of the fire and called piteously upon the
crowd outside to save her, but before a
hand could be raised the flames reached
her and communicated to her cloth
ing. She made a frantic effort to
jump through the window, and with
a piercing shrek fell into the
furnace below. Mabel Powell jumped
from third-story window ant is injured
so badly that she is not expected to re-
cover
About 300 persons suffered from the fire,
and many of them have lost their all, be-
ing virtually homeless. A large mum Der
are living in tents. The work of rebuild
ing the burned district was begun yester-
day. The Burton House had very mar
row escape. 1t was badly scorched.
This fire, together with the one of the
previous week, destroyed nearly all of the
business portion of the town, leaving only
a few stores standing. Both sides of Sill
yer and Copper streets were burned for a
distance Of three blocks.
The losses of this last fire aggregate
$4,000, on which there is about $50, 600 in
surance. The losses of the two fires will
aggregate nearly 100000
CHICAGO, July 1.-THE Alcazar at Hur-
ley was we'll known to the police of Chi
cago as one of the vile dens of that village,
where young girls are sent from this and
other cities, under pretense of securing a
theatrical engagement. The story of how
the girls who go 20 Hurley are treated,
and the manner of their life, are too
horrible for even suggestion, and the
calamity that has overtaken some of
the victims in the AlcaZar is sOftened in its
horror by the thought that, fearful as
their death was, it could not have been
worse than the life they led and the
fame that wrapped them in its embrace
was not so savage in it's possession as the
soulless villains they depended on for ex-
istence. 1t will be remembered that a
few weeks ago a So called dramatic agent,
'Chet" Smith was arrested for having for
warded girls to the town, and received a
years sentence in the Joliet penitentiary.